Madagascar's holiday resort secedes

Diego Suarez has joined three other breakaway states

By Jonny Donavan BBC correspondent in Diego Suarez

Diego Suarez's colourful history lacks no romance.

There are stories of pirate communities and settlers arriving here from the African mainland, Arabia, Europe and the Orient.

The people of Diego have had enough of being ruled by a few powerful families in Antananarivo

Governor Jean-Robert Gara

At one time the tropical northern peninsular played host to the French Foreign Legion.

Almost cut off entirely from the rest of the Madagascar island by a dramatic mountain range, the province of Diego Suarez - or Antsiranana as it is called in the Malagasy language - overlooks one of the most breathtaking natural harbours in the world.

Diego Suarez is also one of four provinces to have recently declared its independence from the central province of Antananarivo following last month's controversial review of the December presidential election results.

Mark vs Didier

The country's High Constitutional Court ruled in favour of Mark Ravalomanana and declared that he had won by a majority.

Diego - and the three other provinces opposed to the rival presidential contender, Mark Ravalomanana - threw its weight behind the incumbent President Didier Ratsiraka.

But, with Mark Ravalomanana in the capital Antananarivo and Didier Ratsiraka operating form his heartland of Tamatave in the east, Diego's ethnically and religiously diverse residents are now asking themselves whether independence is really what they want.

Torn between two presidential contenders

"I think independence is a good thing, " says shopkeeper Nirina.

"Finally we may start benefiting from some of the wealth of our own province, instead of having to give it all to Antananarivo after which nothing comes back to us."

Tactic

This view is shared by many others who feel independence would ensure the much needed development of the provinces debilitated infrastructure.

"We could have decent roads, and our teachers might actually get paid on time," quipped another shopkeeper.

Diego is almost entirely cut off by road from the rest of the island between December and March during the rainy season - meaning that essential supplies from Antananarivo often take months to arrive.

"We have been waiting for a shipment of essential medicines which arrived by boat in Antananarivo," says Doctor Aly Andriantsara at Diego's military hospital.

"The supplies could have arrived here directly by boat up the coastline a long time ago, but everything must go through the capital city - it's crazy."

There are fears secession could trigger ethnic and religious clashes

However, there are others who do not agree with the move for independence and see it as merely a tactic to put pressure on the Ravalomanana government to step down.

"The idea of independence for our province is just an attempt to stir up ethnic tensions against the people from the central highlands, and it's going to harm our national unity in the process," says resident Michelle Rakoto.

Empty hotels

As one of the world's biggest producers of finest quality vanilla and being rich in precious stones, Diego Suarez is the one of the wealthiest of the island's provinces in terms of natural resources.

It boasted a fast expanding tourist industry before the island plunged into the current political crisis.

The high streets today display rows of empty hotels and restaurants, closed businesses, bringing into focus the effects of the four-month crisis on the region's economy.

"The year 2002 was going to be the year for tourism in Madagascar, but we can forget it now," says one hotel owner.

"Tourism is not only ruined for this year but it's going to take years to encourage tourists to come back here."

Jean-Robert Gara is Diego's provincial governor and the man accused of arresting Ravalomanana supporters in the province.

Decentralisation

He maintains that Diego's independence has been on the cards for a long time.

"We are going to have a referendum to ask the people of Diego what they want.

"We still respect national unity and even when Diego has its full independence, Madagascar¿s sovereignty will remain the same.

"But the people of Diego have had enough of being ruled by a few powerful families in Antananarivo."

Anti -Ravalomanana slogan on the wall in Diego

But critics of pro-Ratsiraka provincial governors' plans to form a confederation of independent states are not only claiming the move is a violation of the constitution, but that it goes against the will of many of the provinces' inhabitants.

They say the people are simply tired of politics and have lost interest in both presidential contenders.

And while the politicians talk in terms of severing all ties with the central province of Antananarivo, the people of the autonomous province of Diego seem to be divided over the issue of independence and further economic and political decentralisation.

What is clear is that the threat of secession by Diego's politicians - and by Madagascar's other provincial governors loyal to Ratsiraka - must now be taken seriously.